Simplifying interaction with multiple applications when using forms via a common interface

• US 8,479,222 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2007
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chavan, Sameer
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEYE, ABDOU K
• Application Number:
  US11/849,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20090025017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 719/329
• US Class Current: 719/329
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Simplifying interaction with multiple applications when using forms via a common interface. In one embodiment, a mapping data indicating the forms used for corresponding combinations of an action and a class of data is maintained. On receiving an action identifier and a class identifier from a user using a common interface, the specific form is determined from the mapping data based on the action and class identifiers. The specific form is then displayed to the user on a display. As a result, a user can quickly/directly access a desired form.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a user to interact with a plurality of applications via a common interface, said method being implemented on a client system, wherein each of said plurality of applications is executed on a corresponding set of server systems and is designed to provide a corresponding plurality of forms for manipulating a plurality of classes of data, wherein each form corresponds to a combination of one of a plurality of actions and one of said plurality of classes of data, said method comprising:

maintaining a mapping data indicating a specific one of said plurality of forms used for a combination of an action and a class of data;

providing an area in said common interface for said user to enter a first text and a second text respectively specifying an action identifier and a class identifier;

receiving said action identifier and said class identifier entered by said user in said area;

determining a first form from said mapping data based on said action identifier and said class identifier in response to said receiving, said first form being contained in said plurality of forms; and

displaying said first form on a display as a response to said receiving of said action identifier and said class identifier,

wherein said maintaining, said receiving, said determining and said displaying are performed in said client system, and wherein said user is provided the ability to initiate an action corresponding to said action identifier in at least one of said plurality of applications with respect to class data corresponding to said class identifier using an element contained in the displayed first form.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said maintaining maintains in said mapping data a corresponding application which provides the corresponding form, wherein said determining determines a first application providing said first form, said first application being contained in said plurality of applications, said method further comprising:

retrieving said first form from said first application,

wherein said displaying displays the retrieved form as said first form.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said providing provides for said user to enter a third text in said area, wherein said third text specifies an instance identifier identifying an instance of the class of data identified by said class identifier, wherein said receiving further receives said instance identifier entered in the form of said third text by said user in said area,

wherein said determining determines said first form from said mapping data based on said action identifier, said class identifier and said instance identifier in response to said receiving,

wherein said displayed first form contains data from said instance identified by said instance identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said area comprises a first text field, a second text field and a third text field for respectively entering said first text, said second text and said third text.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said maintaining, said receiving, said determining and said displaying are provided by a sub-interface contained in said common interface, said method further comprising:

providing an alternative sub-interface to enable said user to access said first form from said client system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said alternative sub-interface comprises requiring said user to navigate a subset of forms contained in said plurality of forms before said user is able to access said first form.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of applications constitute an enterprise application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said plurality of classes of data corresponds to a plurality of business objects defined in said enterprise application, wherein said class identifier corresponds to a name associated with the corresponding business object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of actions corresponds to one of creation of a new business object, update of an existing business object, deletion of an existing business object, listing of business objects and search for a business object, wherein said action identifier corresponds to one of add, edit, delete, list and search.

10. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing a client system to enable a user to interact with a plurality of applications via a common interface, wherein each of said plurality of applications is executed on a corresponding set of server systems and is designed to provide a corresponding plurality of forms for manipulating a plurality of classes of data, wherein each form corresponds to a combination of one of a plurality of actions and one of said plurality of classes of data, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said client system causes said client system to perform the actions of:

maintaining a mapping data indicating a specific one of said plurality of forms used for a combination of an action and a class of data;

receiving an action identifier and a class identifier from said user;

determining a first form from said mapping data based on said action identifier and said class identifier in response to said receiving, said first form being contained in said plurality of forms;

displaying said first form on a display, and wherein said user is provided the ability to initiate an action corresponding to said action identifier in at least one of said plurality of applications with respect to class data corresponding to said class identifier using an element contained in the displayed first form,

wherein said maintaining, said receiving, said determining and said displaying are provided by a sub-interface contained in said common interface; and

providing an alternative sub-interface to enable said user to access said first form from said client system, wherein said alternative sub-interface comprises requiring said user to navigate a subset of forms contained in said plurality of forms before said user is able to access said first form.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein said maintaining maintains in said mapping data a corresponding application which provides the corresponding form, wherein said determining determines a first application providing said first form, said first application being contained in said plurality of applications, further comprising one or more instructions for:

retrieving said first form from said first application,

wherein said displaying displays the retrieved form as said first form.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein said receiving further receives an instance identifier identifying an instance of the class of data identified by said class identifier, wherein said determining determines said first form from said mapping data based on said action identifier, said class identifier and said instance identifier in response to said receiving.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein said plurality of applications constitute an enterprise application, wherein said plurality of classes of data corresponds to a plurality of business objects defined in said enterprise application and each of said plurality of actions corresponds to one of creation of a new business object, update of an existing business object, deletion of an existing business object, listing of business objects and search for a business object, wherein said class identifier corresponds to a name associated with the corresponding business object and said action identifier corresponds to one of add, edit, delete, list and search.

14. A computing system comprising:

a set of server systems executing a plurality of applications, wherein each of said plurality of applications is designed to provide a corresponding plurality of forms to facilitate users to manipulate a plurality of classes of data, wherein each form corresponds to a combination of one of a plurality of actions and one of said plurality of classes of data; and

a client system comprising;

a display unit;

a memory storing a mapping data indicating a specific one of said plurality of forms used for a combination of an action and a class of data, wherein said mapping data indicates a first form is available from a first application executing on a first server system, wherein said mapping data indicates a second form is available from a second application executing on a second server system,

wherein said first form and said second form are contained in said plurality of forms, wherein said first application and said second application are contained in said plurality of applications, wherein said first server system and said second server system are contained in said set of server systems; and

a processor operable to;

receiving a first action identifier and a first class identifier in a first request, and then a second action identifier and a second class identifier in a second request, both of said first request and said second request being received from a common interface provided to a user on said display unit of said client system;

determining in response to receiving of said first request, said first form from said mapping data based on said first action identifier and said first class identifier, wherein said determining determines, in response to receiving of said second request, said second form from said mapping data based on said second action identifier and said second class identifier;

retrieving said first form from said first application and said second form from said second application; and

displaying said first form on said display unit as a first response to said first request, wherein said displaying further displays said second form on said display unit as a second response to said second request, and

wherein said user is provided the ability to initiate respective actions in different application executing on corresponding server systems using said common interface provided on said display unit of said client system.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein said processor further receives in said first request, an instance identifier identifying an instance of the class of data identified by said first class identifier,

wherein said processor determines said first form from said mapping data based on said first action identifier, said first class identifier and said instance identifier.

16. The computing system of claim 14, wherein said processor provides an alternative interface to enable a user to access said first form.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein said alternative interface comprises requiring said user to navigate a first subset of forms contained in said plurality of forms before said user is able to access said first form, wherein said user is required to navigate a second subset of forms contained in said plurality of forms before said user is able to access said second form,

wherein said first subset of forms is available from said first application and said second subset of forms is available from said second application,

wherein said common interface enables said user to directly access said first form and said second form without having to navigate said first subset of forms and said second subset of forms.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein said plurality of applications constitute an enterprise application, wherein said plurality of classes of data corresponds to a plurality of business objects defined in said enterprise application and each of said plurality of actions corresponds to one of creation of a new business object, update of an existing business object, deletion of an existing business object, listing of business objects and search for a business object, wherein said first class identifier corresponds to a name associated with the corresponding business object and said first action identifier corresponds to one of add, edit, delete, list and search.

19. The computing system of claim 14, wherein said mapping data indicates a first URL of said first form and a second URL of said second form, wherein said first URL includes a first address of said first server system and said second URL includes a second address of said second server system, wherein said retrieving of said first form and said second form is respectively based on said first URL and said second URL.